Rahul Gandhi, in his first CWC meeting as Congress chief, shifts party's gaze inwards to counter Narendra Modi

The first meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), chaired by the newly elected party president Rahul Gandhi, was meant to be a high-profile affair. After all, the newest Gandhi to head the party had waited to step into these shoes for a long time. There was a sense of great expectation when Rahul came to 24 Akbar Road to chair his first ever meeting as the party president. The CWC members included Manmohan Singh, a two-term former prime minister, Sonia Gandhi, former president of the party who held the post for 19 years, and other stalwarts of the grand old party, quite a few of whom had been important functionaries of Congress governments since the days of Rahul’s grandmother Indira Gandhi or father Rajiv Gandhi. But going by the three-minute address Rahul gave to the media after the meeting, it seems he has listened to his mentors and has settled into the saddle. [caption id=“attachment_4271125” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Rahul Gandhi. PTI[/caption] Astutely, Rahul did not share the details of the meeting, its agenda or what Congress plans to do under his leadership, but chose to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and the ruling party. In launching a scathing attack on the prime minister, the Congress president seemed confident and assertive, even aggressive. When asked if the 2G verdict (in which all the accused have been acquitted) was a vindication of Congress’ stand, Rahul lashed out at the BJP for “spreading lies.” The Congress president, who had begun his tirade against the prime minister during the recently-held Gujarat polls, continued in the same vein and said, “BJP’s foundation and Modi model are based on lies. Note ban was a lie, promise made to the farmers of giving right price for their produce was a lie, transferring Rs 15 lakh in each bank account was a lie.” According to the party sources, a major part of the meeting of the Congress’ highest policy and decision-making body revolved around BJP’s role in the Gujarat election and the 2G scam, which the party in its post-meeting press conference highlighted. What Rahul Gandhi actually meant to say? During its brainstorming session, the CWC meeting delved on issues ranging from party’s internal discipline, revamping of the organisation to bringing new faces, both as party’s office bearers and candidates in the forthcoming series of Assembly elections in 2018. According to Congress party sources, Rahul made it clear about bringing discipline within Congress’ rank and file. The issue of discipline came up with reference to senior leader Mani Shankar Aiyar’s controversial statement made during the fag end of campaigning for the Gujarat election. Aiyar had called Modi a “neech kism ka aadmi”, which the BJP used against the Congress. The party felt that Aiyar’s comment had somewhere impacted it adversely during the last phase of Gujarat election campaigning. Organisation restructuring seems to be big on the new president’s agenda as he discussed revamping the party organisation to effectively counter the Modi juggernaut. “Discussions were held on revamping the party by conducting elections at Pradesh Congress Committees and other levels, building new teams at various levels, bringing new faces, strengthening the organisation at the grassroots, and above all, bringing discipline among party cadre,” a senior Congress leader told Firstpost. Keeping in mind the series of forthcoming elections in 2018, the party’s next focus would be to prepare a strategy to win them. “The next big thing is to prepare a large-scale strategy both to energise the party and prepare it to win elections,” he added. In order to build a strong feedback mechanism through consultation, Rahul suggested holding the CWC meeting once every two months. “I would like that we institutionalise a meeting of the Working Committee, maybe once every two months and we just close the date. And, every two months automatically, the Working Committee meets so that we can hear what you want to say and what the nation is feeling,” Rahul said in his remark. A CWC member said, “During the meeting, the challenges ahead and the responsibilities of the Congress were discussed. The need is to set accountability. The party will work on its strategy, so that in the next set of elections in 2018, Congress emerges victorious.” It was decided that the party would now take an aggressive stance and build consensus by going to rural and urban centres through continued mass struggle. “Congress will take up people’s issues and through mass struggle, create awareness and fight for the masses,” AICC media in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala said. It was after decades that the CWC meeting on Friday witnessed both the former and the current Congress presidents together. While Rahul chaired the meeting, Sonia Gandhi was present as a CWC member. She had held the post of the Congress president for 19 years before handing over the reins to her son last week. Sources said that given her rich experience and vision, she would now act as a mentor for Rahul as well as for the party. Congress made Sonia’s role in the party much clear before Rahul was officially declared president. “Sonia Gandhi is the UPA chairperson. Her blessings and guidance are with Rahul Gandhi and with crores of Congress workers,” reiterated Surjewala. While during the meeting, it was decided that the Congress would have to launch an aggressive campaign against Modi and the BJP, hundreds of Congress workers simultaneously staged a demonstration against the BJP outside the Parliament. They demanded an apology from Modi and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal for “spreading lies” against the previous UPA government. The protest comes a day after the acquittal of all the accused in the 2G spectrum allocation case. This move shows that immediately after the acquittal of those accused in the 2G scam, Congress seems to have got teeth to go on an offensive against the BJP. The party under its new leader has already decided to take an aggressive posturing.